A fashion statement.

 

“And maybe it's a little too early

To know if this is gonna work

All I know is you're sure looking

Good in my shirt.”

The other day I took some clothes to the cleaners. This has become less and less of a need over the past year, since I have been able to work and be around the house wearing much more comfortable clothes. I know I am not alone and I suspect the local cleaners is one business that has been hit hard by the pandemic. 

When I look back at the amount of clothing I used to take to have dry cleaned, and the cost behind it, I should be very wealthy right now. Whether it was a suit, tie, dress shirt, and many other items, spending $30+ a week was not out of the question. I can’t tell you what I did with this new found money, but I suspect because things cost a lot more now,  that I never would have seen it anyway.

Because of these changes, I wonder how this is impacting the fashion world? If you go to downtown Chicago--and I have---there are very few people walking around and if they are, most are not out walking from their offices. Their offices are closed. There was a time when Michigan Avenue for example, was the place to be seen. Men wore suits, women wore fashionable outfits, and if you were not wearing either one of these, you must be a visitor to the city.

However...Chicago is not New York, LA, or a fashion hub seen in other cities around the world—we are more casual it seems, and that suits me just fine. When I would travel to New York, it was obvious I was not one of the natives;  I know my mouth would open when I saw  people actually wearing what you would see in “advertisements” from fashion magazines! 

One time, and this was after our company acquired InStyle Magazine, I was waiting in the lobby of our office in New York and a model walked in. She was there for a fashion shoot; I thought about clicking my heels three times and saying, “I am not in Kansas any more” but didn't want to embarrass myself.

The photo above was taken a number of years ago---I went for a drive looking for something to photograph. I saw the signs for a polo match and knew what I was going to do. Full transparency, I know nothing about polo, except the horses are big, the players are focused, and Ralph Lauren was nowhere to be seen.

Thanks for stopping by.